Debugging kernel memory issues – a quick mention
Memory corruption is unfortunately a very common root cause of bugs, and being able to debug them is a key skill. Well, unfortunately (and with apologies), we don’t cover kernel memory debugging in this book due to two primary reasons:
- This isn’t a book on kernel debugging.
- Topics on kernel debugging have been covered in depth in my recent (up to date as of the 5.10 LTS kernel) Linux Kernel Debugging (LKD) book, including two whole chapters of very detailed coverage on debugging kernel memory issues.
Nevertheless, in this book, I consider it my duty to at least mention the various tools and approaches one typically employs when debugging kernel memory issues. You would do well to gain familiarity with the powerful dynamic (runtime) analysis frameworks/tools that are mentioned here:
